The first half of the song describes a street scene in New York. The second half describes one in London. Musically, the song is composed of two very similar halves, one for each city. Aside from statements that find both cities (perhaps all cities) very positive for their energy, there's not too much indirection here -- every line says what it means.
The New York scene includes a rain "like an English rain", detailing one facet in which New York is like London.
There aren't too many phrases that actually capture the nature of either city. New York has a limitless rise. London has history and is weathered. This could just as well be about Chicago and Rome.
The first half of the song describes a street scene in New York. The second half describes one in London. Musically, the song is composed of two very similar halves, one for each city. Aside from statements that find both cities (perhaps all cities) very positive for their energy, there's not too much indirection here -- every line says what it means.
The New York scene includes a rain "like an English rain", detailing one facet in which New York is like London.
There aren't too many phrases that actually capture the nature of either city. New York has a limitless rise. London has history and is weathered. This could just as well be about Chicago and Rome.